A Fluttershy Love song
by Baton
Summary: When a Musically inclined colt helps Fluttershy in the forest, a relation ship blooms. Who is he? Why is he in Ponyville and what does this mean for the Mane 6, Cutie mark Crusaders, and the royal family? includes Fluttershy X OC, RD x AJ maybe TS X Luna
1. First Verse

Hey This is my First Fanfiction, so ya. I own nothing in this story besides Baton. He is mine! I don't own any songs you may see in this nor any charactors. Please R&R if you wanna tell me I suck then do, but also help me NOT suck!

::Fluttershy::

_Oh dear! Oh no, Angel where are you? _Fluttershy thought as she walked timidly through the everfree forest. Angel hadn't been seen all day and after asking the others of the mane 6 to help, Fluttershy decided to look where her nerve told her not to. Her brain was telling her to run and she would if not for the possibility that Angle, her pet bunny who acted as a guide for her, could possibly be in the forest. Creaks, caws, rumbles, hoots, and howls played an eerie tune as the timid pony ventured farther into the forest. A squeak broke through the normal chatter, _Oh! That's Angel's voice! _Fluttershy rushed to the sound and stuck her head through a bush to see if her dear friend was there. To her elation she saw Angel in a small clearing, looking frightened. _Oh, that poor thing. He is probably scared out of his … _but at that moment Fluttershy followed Angel's line of vision and saw exactly what he was cowering from, a large 9 foot grizzly, whom looked quite upset. The bear let forth a loud roar, causing the butter colored pony to shrink back. _No! I can't back down; I need to help my friend! _Yet before she could spring into action, something caused her to stop, not just her but also the bear, and the entire forest. All was quite. Into the clearing walked a male unicorn, pure white with a short, curly black mane and a long white horn, his cutie mark not completely visible. His horn began to glow black, not an evil black, but the kind of black that was familiar, the color of black ivory. The forest began again, but this time it wasn't a chaotic tune, but a familiar song that caused Fluttershy's eyes to droop, that didn't last too long when the mysterious stallion opened his mouth.

Hush now, quiet now

It's time to lay your sleepy head

Hush now, quiet now

It's time to go to bed

_That lullaby! I know that song! Wh…..why am I so sleepy? _

Drift now, off to sleep

The exciting day behind you

Drift you off to sleep

Let the joy of dreams come find you.

His voice was a smooth low baritone, as he sang, the bear began to sway, eyes closed, and lay down. It took all of Fluttershy's will to not do the same. _That voice is to powerful… I think I could afford a small nap…. NO! Angel, I need to get Angel…. Oooh I hope he is as nice as his song. _She looked to her bunny but saw that he too was sleeping. The mystery stallion had walked over to Angel and lifted him onto his back and turned to leave the way he came. Before he could leave, Fluttershy gathered up all her courage and said, "…Wait!" The stallion turned, horn glowing, anticipating another obstacle. Fluttershy slowly walked through the bushes, trying to look harmless and trying not to run away at the same time. "That's…. um…. That's m-m-my bunny." The stallion's expression softened and a smile crept onto his face.

"Yes, I was wondering where the little guy was taking me, he ran so far ahead I had almost lost him. It's a good thing I didn't! oh, but here is not the best place to talk. There IS a bear sleeping over there!" They both stayed quiet as they found the trail and began toward Ponyville and Fluttershy's cottage.

"Oh…. Um… well you can come to my house. I'm not sure where you live but it's quite late and these woods are dangerous." _It's the least I can do for saving Angel. Maybe I can learn something about how he knew that song._

"I would be delighted! Hmmmmm…. That voice. I have heard your voice before. Please, what is your name?"

"Oh? I'm…. Fluttershy. …."

"I'm sorry… I couldn't quite here you."

"I'm Fluttershy…. "

"Flutter…? OH! You're Fluttershy!" _How does he know my name? Should I be afraid? He did say he has heard my voice… I hope I haven't gotten in over my mane._

"H-h-how do you know my name?"

"Well I heard it! *Ahem*

Fluttershy pal, this won't cut it!

I need a pet to keep up with me!

Now I do believe that that was someone you called 'Rainbow my dear'." The stallion noticed that Fluttershy was no longer walking by his side. He turned to see her with a shocked expression on her face.

"wh-who are you!"

"Ah, I have failed to introduce myself. I am Baton."

"How did you know that lullaby, and my name, and my song with Rainbowdash?" As an answer, Baton turned his flank to show his cutie mark, a long white wand with black lines and music notes.

"Is that a wand? You're a magician? Why didn't you use magic on that bear instead of singing?" Baton let out a chuckle that carried even in the dense forest.

"No. No. And I did! This isn't a wand; it's a conductor's baton. I prefer the term musician. And I did use magic. I used music magic, that my dear is my special talent. As for how I knew your voice and that song, whenever someone sings, I hear it. Even now Princess Luna is singing to her garden, ah what a nice song. Hardly anyone sings to plants anymore." Fluttershy looked even more confused. _I've never heard Twilight say anything about music magic. I will need to ask her about it, in the meantime maybe I can get him to do it again._

"o…o….oh…. could you show me again? I mean, if that's alright with you…" Baton smiled and his horn began to glow again, the forest went quiet, and then slowly began the way it sounded when Fluttershy first saw the stallion.

Hush now, quiet now

It's time to lay your sleepy head

Hush now, quiet now

It's time to go to bed

_His voice is so soft for a colt…hmmmm.. I'll just close my eyes for one second._

Drift now, off to sleep

The exciting day behind you

Drift you off to sleep

Let the joy of dreams come find you.

And with that, Fluttershy fell asleep.

::Fluttershy::

Fluttershy awoke from the best sleep of her life to sun beaming into her hut. She yawned and stretched as she got out of her bed. She began her morning ritual by setting a pot of water to boil for tea, she went out to feed her chickens and other animals. It was noon before she finally sat down, and it was that time when she finally noticed a folded piece of parchment with a music note on it on her table. The night before flashed back to Fluttershy, the bear, Angel, the mysterious stallion Baton, his song, and… _how… how did I get home? I don't remember anything after his song… did I fall asleep? _She finally opened the note and read it.

Dear Fluttershy,

I hope you rested well. You slept like a log all the way back! But don't worry both you and Angel into your beds without a hitch. I decided not to stay due to your incapacitation. If you would like to talk I will be at the café next to Sugar cube Corner at noon, I do hope to hear you again.

Yours,

Baton

Fluttershy stared at the note, blushing at the thought of being carried and put to bed by a colt. She jumped with a jot. As she ran outside she looked at the position of the sun, seeing it at high-noon. _Oh no, oh no, oh no! It's already noon and I haven't even left. I hope he doesn't leave without waiting! _She ran back into her hut and went to Angel's bed. "Wake up Angel, oh please wake up!" The bunny awoke with much grumbling and a glare in her direction. "Oh, I'm so sorry dear but I need you to do something for me, can you go get Twilight and tell her to find me at the Stable café. I will have a large carrot for you when you get back!" Angle, who grumbled and frowned during the conversation, perked up at the sound of a carrot, jumped down and went on his way. Fluttershy smiled when she saw her friend's enthusiasm, but then remembered why she was in a hurry in the first place. _Oh dear, oh dear!_ And with that she began galloping toward Ponyville. As she galloped she caught the attention of a certain multi-hued Pegasus who was having an unfortunately rough day.

"Hey! Fluttershy! Pal! Wait up!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she saw her timid friend galloping to town. Rainbow jumped from her cloud and flew, catching up to Fluttershy in only a few seconds. She slowed to level with her friend and asked, "Are you ok Fluttershy? Is something chasing you?" Fluttershy, reluctantly, stopped to talk.

"Oh hello Rainbow Dash, no, everything is fine!"

"Ok good… hey Fluttershy can we talk for a little? I've had a tough day so far and just need someone to talk to…" Fluttershy glanced up at the sun, then to Ponyville. _I hope this doesn't take too long._

"It's no problem at all, what's wrong Rainbow?" Hearing this perked the tomcolt up a bit. So she landed to tell her friend about her awful day

"Well this morning I was able to sneak into the Wonderbolts training session, you know, to show them my stuff."

"Well that's great! Isn't it?"

"It would have been if I was able to show them. I was just yelled at for trespassing. They wouldn't give me a chance, it's just so frustrating! I'm the fastest flyer in all Equestria and they can't see that!" The blue mare stomped her hooves in frustration with a scowl on her face.

"Don't be upset Dash, everyone in Ponyville knows you're the best. It will just take time and patience for everyone else to see. You have friends here if you ever need help. I bet Applejack would love to help you practice!" Fluttershy's friend's face dropped into a sad frown.

"Yah, I don't know about that anymore…" Rainbow Dash kicked at the ground, sending a dirt cloud into the air.

"Oh? Why not?"

"Well that's the rest of my morning. After the Wonderbolts threw me out I decided to practice my Sonic Rain-boom! I flew really high and let myself fall, gaining speed as I raced downward. Now in my rush to the Wonderbolts, I didn't clear…. ALL of the sky, so when I got close to the ground and about to break that barrier before the Rain-Boom, I flew into a cloud. This wouldn't have been a problem if I wasn't so close to the ground. By the time I flew out of it I was too low to the ground. And… Sweet Apple Acres…"

"Oh no dash!"

"I wrecked the barn! When I came to AJ was just shouting at me, about not paying attention, about being more careful, and I just couldn't take it on top of the Wonderbolts. So I shouted back… I said some things I wish I hadn't. When I left I thought I saw a tear in her eye." A single tear fell from the proud mare's eye.

"Oh Rainbow… I'm sure if you apologize, Applejack will forgive you. You guys are best friends!"

"YAH! WELL MAYBE I DON'T WANT TO BE _JUST_ FRIENDS!_..._" Rainbow Dash looked up and saw Fluttershy cowering. "Oh no, Fluttershy I'm so sorry! I just need to take my mind off of things." Fluttershy began to recover and asked,

"I never knew you felt that way about Applejack."

"Heh, yah I guess you aren't the only one. Though I'm sure people have been gossiping that I swing that way. But let's not talk about this right now. Where were you in a rush to get to?" Up until that point Fluttershy forgot all about the colt, the note and the date. She looked up and saw that the sun was no longer overhead but on its decent to the west. _Oh no oh no oh no!_

"Oh no, I'm going to miss him!" she blurted out as she began again toward the town.

"Him? Are you going on a date Fluttershy? I'd never thought I'd see the day where timid Fluttershy would even be able to talk to colt!" Jeered the blue mare as she took off to catch up with her shy friend. Together they both raced toward Ponyville for answers, little did they know that they would get much more then they thought.

~What will happen next? Ha I don't even know! please review! and suggestions would be welcomed! OH and if anyone finds songs that fit the Mane 6, lemme know!


	2. Chorus

Disclaimer, I own nothing but the story line, Baton, and this ice-cream…. Never mind, that's gone now.

::Baton::

_*sigh* Maybe I scared her away…_ Thought Baton as he sat outside the café while watching the sun hit its apex and begin to descend, he closed his eyes and began to listen. He heard the hustle and bustle of the small town, small conversations in the markets, birds singing in the trees and on the roofs. He heard pegasi going about their business, wings flapping in tempo with hooves stomping. Unbeknownst to the rest of the village, a song began, where wings and hooves kept time, doors and windows clanked, and closed. A wind chime began its own solo as a gust of wind signaled its entrance; it was joined by a few more. It reminded him of home. Not exactly though, this place was much softer and quieter than the big apple, New Horse City. Compared to that place, Ponyville was but a mere garage band to the big city's orchestra of sound. _I wonder if there is a school for music like the one I went to, _Baton thought. He had fond memories of Manes College of Music Magic; the halls, symphonies, his friends. He heard Octavia had scored a gig in the Canterlot royal band. _"I wonder if she might have pull with the Princess, it's a long shot, but it's the reason I came here." "Hmmm… I thought I heard that Orchestra moved to around here. I wonder if ol' Orcy is doing ok." _He listened as the merchants, who had been trying to embellish their sales pitches, began again. Their voices added a choir to the symphony, soon Baton allowed himself to get swept away.

::Sweetie belle::

At the same time a pony that is usually found in a trio makes her way into town to find her friends. _"Oooh! That Rarity makes me so mad sometimes. I was just trying to help her! I thought the dress looked ok with my alteration. Made it less stuck up! *sigh* I guess I'm still not going to be a designer like my sister… when will I find my special talent?" _The white filly continued toward town, keeping an eye out for her friends. There was nothing unusual about the day, Rainbow Dash still hadn't completely cleared the sky, Twilight was going to buy MORE quills and parchment, and Applejack was selling apples (although she didn't look as happy as she usually does and if one looked close enough they could see past the fake smile.) Sweetie belle continued toward Sugar Cube Corner. "_Maybe Scootaloo is getting a snack before her daily search for Rainbow Dash._ Sweetie Belle turned the corner that led to the street on which the confection shop was located and spotted something different. There, at the café, was a strange stallion. The stallion was white except for his nose and hooves, his curly brown hair shifted with the breeze. But the curious thing was… his eyes were closed. He just sat there smiling to himself as if he could hear something she couldn't. Curiosity got the better of the pink and purple haired filly so she decided to go confront him. She trotted over and waited, expecting him to notice that there was now someone sitting right in front of him. Yet he didn't stir. "_Is he ok? Maybe he is just a little slow. I wonder if he's related to Derpy."_ *cough* Still nothing. "Um…. Sir? Excuse me, sir?" The stallion slowly opened his eyes causing Sweetie belle to gasp. The stallion had eyes of deep blue that seemed to never end.

"Yeees? How can I help you today? "Asked the strange stallion in a deep baritone.

"Oh, well I was just wondering what you were doing."  
>"Well, I was listening."<br>"Listening? That's it? What's there to listen to?" The stallion let forth a loud chuckle that seemed to reverberate off the air itself.

"What's there to listen to? Why, there is music to listen to, there is music everywhere! Why don't you try it with me?" The filly tilted her head in confusion but decided to go along. She closed her eyes but all she could hear was chaos. Nothing going together, just noise.

"I don't hear music, just noise. It's chaotic." The stallion smirked, expecting this answer.

"Keep trying, let me help you." With that, he too closed his eyes. The horn atop his head glowed with black energy and to Sweetie belle, all was quiet. _"What happened! Where did the sound go?" _"Don't worry little one, just listen." So she did. It started soft, a single beat, simple but strong. Next came more beats, all the same yet running along each other, like a heard of ponies weaving within themselves, it reminded her of the running of the leaves. Then came a lone note, it came with the wind, like a gust rushing through tall grass, whistling in harmony with each other. Sweetie belle began to recognize sounds. A flap of a wing here, the sound of a bell there, a drop of water, a window closing, even her heart kept time. The more she heard, the closer she listened. She immersed herself in the pure music, it was life, it was love, and it was beauty. Eventually, as hard as she tried, it fell away, back into chaos. She opened her eyes and noticed that she was crying, but they weren't tears of sadness, but joy. She looked to the mysterious stallion and said with a smile.

"Thank you. How long was I listening?"  
>"Hmmm…. I'd say about… a minuet." The filly was shocked! She felt as if she was listening for hours! She looked up and saw the sun had not moved since she got into town. She turned back to the stallion.<p>

"Who….Who are you?"

The stallion chuckled.

"I better get used to that. I, my little filly am..."

"Baton…" Baton looked behind him and saw just the pony he was waiting for. His face lit up when he saw the pink maned, tender Pegasus. She wasn't alone though; behind her was a blue Pegasus with a rainbow mane looking inquisitively at the newcomer.

"I'm glad you made it Fluttershy."


	3. Bridge

I still don't own MLP; FIM no matter how many pieces of bacon I offer them… grrr but I do own Baton and maybe….. a character to come? What are your thoughts?

::Rainbow Dash::

_Wow, there really is a stallion that Fluttershy was going to meet… hmmm I wonder how he actually got Fluttershy this worried about missing him. I had better play it cool. _

"Hey! You! Who are you?"

_Nice!_

Fluttershy knew where the rainbow maned pony was headed and thought it best to cut her off.

"Oh, this is Baton. He… um, helped save Angel. And he….um well… he… that's it." Rainbow Dash looked skeptically at Fluttershy, sensing that she was hiding something. Fluttershy, staying true to her nature, shied away from Dash's gaze. This only confirmed Rainbow Dash's suspicions. She turned her interrogating stare to the unfamiliar white stallion who was just sitting there with a slight smile on his face.

"Alright buddy, I'm going to ask you some questions and you're going to answer them!" The smile on Batons face grew slightly.

"Of course." His willingness to accommodate this interrogation threw Rainbow Dash off a little.

_Grr, he should be sweating in his hooves, not smiling._

"Ok then, first question. Who. Are. You."

"I am Baton, and you must be miss Rainbow Dash." Rainbow Dash's face turned to one of surprise.

"Wha! How did you know?" Baton just smiled softly.

"I hear things my dear. I heard that today, one Rainbow Dash has yet to clear all the clouds. And I deduced that was you by… well just looking at you." Baton's eyes glanced up at her rainbow mane.

_Gah, no duh. Come one Rainbow, you don't need this guy making you look like a fool too. You already feel like one. _ Rainbow's face hardened into a frown.

"Fine Mister Smarty-Colt. Why are you here?" At this, Baton's smile shrank into nothingness.

"That, my dear, is my business and I prefer to keep it just that. MY business."

_So he DOES have something to hide! Maybe if I grill him I can get him to tell me. _Rainbow began to smirk, thinking she had Baton cornered.

"Well well well… fine, I'll leave that… for now. What about your cutie mark? Are you some magician?" She asked, referring to the conductor's baton on his flank.

"Well it shows that I am, in fact, quite skilled in the discipline of Music Magic." Baton smiled proudly as he spoke of his art. Rainbow Dash tilted her head, confused at this.

"I've never heard of 'Music Magic'. How do I know you're not just making this stuff up? For all I know that could be a load of phooey!" Dash narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Baton. Her questioning not without purpose.

_I need to make sure he is ok for Fluttershy. He already has some sort of hold on her._

Baton tried to further explain himself but was interrupted by a filly that was seemingly forgotten in the rush of introductions.

::Fluttershy::

"It's real! I saw it, well heard it, for myself!" Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy both jumped, not having noticed Sweetie Belle before. Rainbow looked down at her.

"Sweetie Belle, how long have you been down there?" Sweetie Belle eagerly began recounting how she met this new stallion. Yet Baton, having been there at the time, looked to Fluttershy. He smiled when he saw her, not paying attention to Sweetie Belle. It wasn't long before she felt his eyes on her and looked up. They locked eyes, Fluttershy's face began to flush.

_I never noticed how deeply blue his eyes are… I feel as if I can fall into them and be surrounded by his music.. OH! Was I thinking that? What's wrong with me? _

Fluttershy tried to look away but her eyes kept flitting back to the two deep blue orbs that were trained on her. Batons noticed and began to smile bigger.

_I wonder if… oh Fluttershy don't be silly. Oh why can't I just stare at the ground like I usually do… _

At that time Fluttershy was brought back to the real world by Sweetie Belle.

"Isn't that right Baton? …Baton? Hey are you listening." He wasn't. Baton, whose eyes were still on Fluttershy, asked a question of his own.

"Is there anything you would like to know Fluttershy?"

_Oh no, what do I say? What should I ask him? About his magic? About why he is here? Oh I don't want him to get defensive again. Oh… I don't know what to ask him… _

Fluttershy blushed and looked down, kicking at the dirt.

"oh…. Um… w-w-well I was wondering… um where you came from. I mean….. if that's alright with you." Baton chuckled, a low sound that seemed to bounce off the market itself.

"Well I came here from the big apple, New Horse City. It's a large town, bigger than Canterlot and much more packed. I grew up without knowing my parents. I was in the foster care program, which is where ponies like me would be set up in families to have them take care of us, though whether they did or not was-"

"We know." Rainbow Dash's face looked solemn as she recalled those harsh times of her child hood. She glanced toward Fluttershy and the two shared a sad smile. "That's where Fluttershy and I first met." Fluttershy remembered those days. The parents who couldn't care less for her, the school bullies, but also, Rainbow Dash. _If it wasn't for Rainbow Dash, I don't know where I would be. She helped me more than she knows._ Rainbow looked back to Baton. "Continue."

"Well about your age, Sweetie Belle, I was on my way to school across town and I stopped for the first time. I just stopped; I thought I heard something, like a song I remember from a dream. I closed my eyes and… well listened. I heard the world differently that day. I got this cutie mark and was accepted to the best school for ponies with my talent, Ma-"

"Manes College of Music Magic." The voice of a deep purple pony caused the group to look toward its source. It came from, none other than Twilight Sparkle. She was walking toward them with a single white bunny on her back. She was focused on Baton with the same kind of look that is seen on her when she begins to study a new subject. "I've read about that place. However, I never took it, or its curriculum, seriously." To everyone's surprise, Baton began to laugh. It was a deep, booming laugh that Fluttershy swore reverberated through her body. She even caught herself smiling and starting to giggle. _Oh no, I hope no one saw that. I don't want to look like a fool. _

"I have a few friends that would take offense to that, though I assure you that my magic is quite real. If my friend Orchestra heard you, I bet she would challenge you to a magic duel right here. Perhaps you know her, she is rumored to live around this area. She is a white unicorn like me with light red hair and deep red eyes. Her cutie mark is two backward connected eight notes." All the native ponies started to think. After about a minute Rainbow was the first to speak up.

"There's no pony like that. Though I know DJ Pon-3 has a cutie mark like that. I don't know about her eyes though. She always wears shades."

"Well do you know her real name? I may know her. I know a few musical ponies." Said Baton

"Yah, her name is Vinyl Scratch."

Baton racked his brain but came up blank. Twilight smiled, remembering something.

"Hey, she's DJ-ing another of Rarity's Fashion shows later tonight. Why don't you come with us?" Baton though about this for a little, then smiled, looking to Fluttershy.

"That sounds great, but I think I might need a guide, so I don't get lost. Would you be so kind as to help me around town today Fluttershy?"

_Oh… did he mean me? Of course he did. I'm the only Fluttershy Oh what should I say? I want to say yes but… should I? _Fluttershy Blushed and looked to the ground.

"I um…. That is… I would be delighted." Fluttershy looked up to see Rainbow Dash a little disheartened. It was clear that she isn't over her confrontation with Apple Jack and the feelings that came with that. "B-b-but… I can't. I… um I promised Rainbow Dash I'd cheer for her while she practiced. I'm sorry." Baton's faced dropped dramatically at this but perked up when he noticed that Rainbow Dash looked a tad down.

"Of course, I wouldn't want to impede on previous plans. I'm sure Sweetie Belle can show me around. If my memory serves me right, we have much to talk about, would you like to come too Twilight Sparkle? I'm sure I could clarify some things about my branch of magic." Both Twilight and Sweetie Belle smiled at the opportunity. Sweetie Belle jumped up to begin her tour.

"That would be most educational." Twilight said. "Maybe we could just go to the library. It would be much cozier and I'd like to send a letter as soon as possible." Baton was confused by why the pony needed to send a letter post haste, and from a library no less. He nodded in the affirmative. Baton turned to Fluttershy and walked over to her, so that he was only a foot away.

"Will I see you tonight at the fashion show?" Fluttershy squeaked at the closeness but didn't shy away, much to the surprise of the other ponies watching. She flushed deeply.

_Oh why is he so close? Why am I so out of breath? Mmmmmm… he smells like rain. Gah! Did I just think that? Oh I haven't said anything to him._

"Uh… y-yes." Stuttered Fluttershy. Baton smiled.

"Good." He turned and walked back to Twilight and Sweetie Belle . "Lead on, we have much to discuss." With that the three began toward the library that sat in the middle of town.

::Rainbow Dash::

After they had gone out of sight, Rainbow Dash turned to Fluttershy.

"Wow… You got it bad."

"I-it? What do you mean?"

"You're crushing, falling hooves over head for the guy!"

"Oh, I don't know about that. I mean… I don't know HOW I feel. I know I haven't felt like this before…" Rainbow Dash chuckled at her friend but felt her pain. She remembered feeling that for AJ, but at least Fluttershy felt that way about a stallion. Rainbow still didn't know how she would break it to AJ, much less the rest of the town. _I bet they all guess it behind my back anyways. _ She looked back to her pink maned friend who was struggling with her feeling.

"Hey Fluttershy, why don't we go back to your place, have some tea and talk about it." Fluttershy looked back at Rainbow Dash and smiled.

"Yah, I'd like that."

Thanks for reading! Like I said, if you have any ideas for a new OC I'd like to hear them and maybe add them to my tale. But thanks! Keep reading everyone!.


	4. Solo

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is owned by Hasbro… for now! Baton, on the other hand, is owned by me, myself, and I. I hope you enjoy Chapter 4.

::Twilight::

The group of ponies finally reached the library, Twilight heading the group as they entered. What they stumbled upon was a mess! A mess that surrounded a purple baby dragon who lay sleeping with his head on an open book.

_GAH! Look at this mess! _

"SPIKE!" The baby dragon jumped at the shout. "Spike, I thought I told you to clean up while I was gone!" Spike began cleaning up, as if he could make up an afternoon of cleaning in just a few moments.

"Oh! Right! Sorry Twilight, I just saw this story book and started to read it, wasn't long before I fell asleep I guess." Twilight sighed.

_I have to remember, he IS a baby dragon. I should cut him some slack._

"It's fine Spike, I'll take care of it." Twilight said, horn glowing, as books began to randomly place themselves upon the shelves. _I'll have to sort them later I suppose._ "Spike, why don't you start some tea for our guests?" Spike looked at the aforementioned guests, Sweetie Belle he knew, but the other one was a stranger.

"Hi! I'm Spike!" He said, walking up to the white unicorn.

"I guessed! Hello Spike, I'm Baton." The two exchanged a nod while Spike went to the kitchen to start what he was asked to do.

"Oh, why don't you two take a seat?" Twilight said, motioning to the pillows on the floor. Sweetie Belle and Baton took their seats smiling, Sweetie Belle's eyes on Baton the entire time. "Ok Baton, the floor is yours."

Baton smiled and said, "Alright Twilight, what is magic?"

Twilight tilted her head and gave the exact textbook answer, "Magic is the manipulation of energy."  
>"Right! Now, what is music?"<p>

The purple unicorn tilted her head, confused. "Well it's the combination of sounds in pitch to make melodies, harmonies, and general sound that pleases the ears."

Baton chuckled at the scientific quality of the statement. "Yes I suppose that's right. Now what does it take to make that?"

Twilight thought to herself. _Hmmmmm… is this a trick question?_ "Talent? Practice? Patience?..." Baton was still looking at her, waiting for the right answer, "Energy?"  
>"Right!" Exclaimed Baton. "So, if one was to make music using magic, they can add effects, meanings and spells to the song."<p>

"So music magic is just **using** magic through sounds?"  
>Baton smirked at this, "Yes… and no. You can also <strong>make<strong> magic using song. Music is filled with magic, whether or not the pony performing is a unicorn. I know many pegasi and earth ponies who are quite good at music magic."

Twilights mouth opened in shock, "But… That's impossible! Only unicorns can make magic!"

Baton just smiled, "But EVERYpony can make music."

_That can't be possible! But, I see no reason for him to lie to me… maybe I should ask Celestia about this. I wonder if she can help me better understand._

"Which is what I wanted to talk to you about Sweetie Belle." Baton turned his attention to the filly sitting next to him. Sweetie Belle had been quiet and patient, like Rarity taught her, while the older ponies talked. She perked up at this. "I've heard you sing Sweetie Belle, and I think you have a lot of potential."

Sweetie Belle tilted her head, confused, "But you only got here yesterday, and we only met an hour ago. How would you know if I have potential?"

Baton smiled, realizing he forgot to mention something. "Well Sweetie Belle, part of my special talent allows me to hear music, where ever it's made. And YOU, my little pony, sing a lot."  
>Sweetie Belle's faced flushed a little, "I do not. And how do you know it was me?"<p>

Baton chuckled, "Yes you do, I hear you at least twice a day. As for how I know it was you, well, I recognize the voice. That's how I recognized Fluttershy. But you, my dear, possess a talent that far exceeds normal fillies of your age. "

Twilight, curiosity getting the better of herself, stood up, "If you'll excuse me for a second it's almost sundown and I need to send a letter befo-"  
>"SUNDOWN!" shouted Sweetie Belle, "Oh no nonononononono! Rarity is going to lose it! I need to help her set up before her fashion show! Oh I hope she doesn't yell at me! It was nice meeting you Baton, I hope to talk to you again. Bye Twilight!" Sweetie Belle rushed out of the tree house without another word, leaving two pairs of wide eyes in her wake.<p>

"Well that was… sudden." Said Twilight.

"Indeed." Replied Baton. At that moment Spike came in with 3 bowls of celery soup.

"Soups on! Heh, get it? 'soups on' and we are having soup!" the dragon chuckled at his own joke.

"Yes, yes we get it Spike. Can you take a letter for me?" Twilight asked, sipping her soup.

"Of course Twi," Spike goes and grabs a quill and parchment, "Ok! Shoot!"

"Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I met a new unicorn, His name is Baton and he studies a different type of magic, one that I know nothing about. He studies music magic. I was only wondering if, as my teacher, you knew anything on this subject that you could teach me. I hope this reaches you in good spirits.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle"

In a burst of green flames the letter burns, the magic smoke carrying it out the window. Twilight turned back to her guest to see him in shock, mouth agape. "What? Do I have something on my face?" She asked as she wiped her mouth.

"You… you know the princess?" Baton asked, amazed.

"Well yes, I am her personal pupil. I was sent to Ponyville to study the magic of friendship. We still keep in touch. Why?"  
>Baton faltered for a second before continuing, "well, I came here because i-"<p>

At that moment, Spike let forth a loud "BUUUURP!" and a scroll appeared, which fell to the floor.

"Ah, here we are." Said Twilight as she levitated the scroll, it read:

"My dear student, Twilight Sparkle,

While I am glad you are meeting new friends, I do not have anything to teach you about music magic. It is a discipline of magic I never gave much thought to, nor do a lot of other unicorns. I apologize and hope, if you still wish to, you find your answers.

Your Teacher,

Princess Celestia."

Twilight looked up and saw Baton staring into his soup, sadly. "I can't believe Celestia didn't know something. It's a hard concept to grasp."

Baton sighed, "Yes, but it is also the view shared by many in the magic community. Thankfully, only one of the Royal Sisters holds that view."  
>"What do you mean?" Asked Twilight, intrigued.<p>

"Well, Princes Luna practices music magic. Every night, in her garden." Baton stated.

"How do you know that?" Inquired Twilight, her hope rekindled.

"Well I hear her of course. In the dead of night, when all ponies are asleep, she sings to her flowers, to her plants, to her garden."

_Duh, he already told me that! Focus Twilight!_

"Uhm…. Do you think I should send a message to Luna?"

"Well if you want to know more, you need a teacher."

"Right, Spike can you send a letter to Princess Luna?" Twilight addressed spike, who went to grab another roll of parchment.

"Well of course I can! Do you doubt me?" Boasted the purple dragon as he set quill to parchment.

Twilight cleared her throat "Ok, here we go:

Dear Princess Luna,

I have recently come into awareness of a branch of magic called 'music magic'. I have requested instruction in this field from Princess Celestia but she doesn't acknowledge this as a legitimate magical branch. I hear tell that you are quite fluent in this subject. I am inquiring if you would be my teacher for this new school of magic.

Your Friend,

Twilight Sparkle"

With that, Spike closed his eyes in concentration and blew a jet of green flames, destroying the scroll and sending it out the window. "I guess all there is left to do is wait…" Twilight began to pace around the library. "I hope she can help me… it always irks me when I cant learn something new."

"I'm sure she can help you. You two are friends after all." Baton commented, indicating the end of Twilights letter.

"Well… I'm not that sure. We have only really met twice, once when i… defeated her evil side Nightmare Moon, and again during Nightmare Night. Neither of those really gave us a chance to talk. Plus, this is the first time I've actually sent her a letter. I never thought that I should. Oh I probably look like some greedy foal." Twilight was picking up pace as she talked, at the end she was running in circles around the library. _Oh she is going to say no, I just know it! For being Celestia's star student, I can be an idiot sometimes._ At that moment Spike gave another loud belch and a scroll fell to the floor. This wasn't like any other scroll Twilight had received. No, this scroll was a deep blue parchment, tied in a purple ribbon, sealed with the crest of the moon princess, a crescent moon. Nervously, Twilight levitated it to eye level and began to read.

"To one Ms. Twilight Sparkle,

Nothing would bring me greater joy than to- I have heard your request and have put it under- Long have I waited for a chance to show you that I Yes, I would love to help further your knowledge in any field, though it wouldn't feel right being called your teacher when Celestia also holds the title. How about we just call this a friend helping a friend, I owe you still for everything you've done for me. I shall come to Ponyville after I raise the moon tomorrow. I cant wait- I look forward to our lessons.

Love yours forever- From,

Princess Luna"

Twilight re-read the letter to herself, making out what had been crossed out and blushing. _I wonder what Princess Luna really wanted to write._ She looked outside and saw the moon beginning its arc across the sky. _Luna._ Shaking her head, Twilight noted the moons position. "I think it's time we headed to the fashion show."

Baton stood, "Agreed. Let us be on our way."

Spike looked up from where he was sitting. "Wait, you guys are going to Rarity's fashion show? Can I come!

Twilight sighed, "She will be too busy to talk Spike."  
>"Ya I know but I'll be there if she needs anything. Can I go Twi? Please please please?"<br>Twilight rolled her eyes. "Fine fine. Let's go."

With that, Twilight led the way to the Carousel boutique, her mind however was still on the letter. She looked up to the full moon. _Luna._


	5. Duet

I do not own anything in this story but the story line, and Baton. I'm saving up to buy Fluttershy though.

:: Baton ::

Baton turned the corner, which lead to the back of the Carousel Boutique, and stopped. There was a stage there! He had passed by this store once, the day before, and none of this was here.

"Yah, Rarity sure knows how to put a show together." Commented Twilight as she stopped next to him, chuckling at his surprised expression. At that time, Spike rushed forward and into the large crowd that gathered around a runway.

"Bye Twilight! Gonna go find Rarity!" He shouted as he ran behind the curtain that cut off the entrance to the Boutique.

_What an interesting little dragon, obviously in love with this "Rarity". Now where is… Ah! _At that moment, Baton saw a mane of pink that he knew belonged to a butterscotch pony that he desired to see. _There is the pony I came here for. She hasn't seen me yet… hmmmm, I have a plan._ With that thought Baton turned to Twilight and put his hoof to his lips, shushing her, and proceeded to slowly and quietly walk up behind Fluttershy. He leaned in right next to Fluttershy's ear and whispered, "I'm glad I get to see you again."

Fluttershy let out an "Eeeep!" and turned bright red. Struggling to catch her breather, she responded, "h-h-h-hi…"

Baton let out a chuckle, "I'm sorry about that Fluttershy but you are just too cute too pass up." Twilight walked up giggling as well. Fluttershy looked down, smiling, and kicked at the dirt embarrassed, and flattered.

Twilight turned to Fluttershy, "Hey, where is Rainbow Dash?"

"Oh, she decided to go home. She wasn't in the mood for a fashion show. But when is she?" Twilight laughed, acknowledging that this wasn't the usual scene for their tom-colt friend.

"Now I must find this 'Vinyl Scratch' you told me about. She seems very familiar…" Baton stated, craning his neck to see if he could see the DJ turn tables.

Twilight smiled, "Oh, well she would be… ooooh! Its starting!"

:: Fluttershy ::

The dresses being premiered were, as expected from Rarity, beautiful! Yet one pony wasn't paying attention to the show. Fluttershy stood, lost in her thoughts.

_Why does he need to see that other pony… oh, I hope he doesn't like her more than me. What if it's his mare-friend! Oh… he doesn't like me. Now Fluttershy we don't know that. But why didn't he stay with me that night… oh why am I freaking out about this… oh I'm just a joke… No! Let's not get ahead of ourselves. _It wasn't until the roar of applause that Fluttershy remembered where she was. She saw Rarity take her bow and the crowd began to disperse.

Twilight started toward the back of the stage, "C'mon! I'll show you Vinyl Scratch!"

Baton followed Twilight, though throwing a glance back to Fluttershy, as if to say 'Hurry silly! I don't want to lose you.'

_Oh no… here it goes._

The three ponies approach the turn tables where a blue haired unicorn was packing the equipment, her back to the new ponies. A pair of eye shades rested on a still slowly revolving turn table. "Hey Vinyl, great show!"

"Hey, thanks Twilight! What can I say? I love..." Vinyl Scratch turned as she spoke, her last sentence stopping dead as she saw Baton. Red eyes looked into blue and Her face changed into shock, then surprise, there was a hint of something else, like she was caught. "…Baton".

_Did she just say she loved Baton? Oh Fluttershy you foal… _Fluttershy looked to Baton and saw him as shocked as the red eyed mare… until he started to laugh. He laughed like he hadn't since he got to Ponyville, his baritone chuckle bounced off every wall and reverberated through the air. Fluttershy looked to Vinyl Scratch, who was getting steadily more agitated by the second.

"Shut up Baton! And yeah, it's nice to see you too…" she snapped. Slowly Baton got control over himself and responded.

"I do apologize, but really… I did miss you too 'Vinyl Scratch'" he said, whipping a tear from his eye. Twilight and Fluttershy watched on, confused.

_I…. I don't understand, Baton acts like that isn't her name… well is it? Is she really Vinyl Scratch? _

"Yes! Vinyl Scratch! That's it! Just Vinyl Scratch!" The blue haired pony bit back. Baton only snickered, trying to contain himself.

Twilight finally spoke up, "oooook…. I'm lost… Vinyl, how do you know Baton? And WHY is he laughing?"

But before she could respond, Baton butted in, "Oh come now! Can I tell them please? They won't tell any pony!"

Vinyl Scratch eyed both ponies, "You promise?" The butterscotch and violet ponies nodded. "No, you need to 'Pinkie Pie Promise'!"

Baton tilted his head confused, "A what?"

Twilight, naturally, was the first to respond, "It's a promise that if you break it, you will lose that ponies trust and friendship forever."

At that exact moment Pinkie Pie burst from a small case of equipment

"FOREVER!" she shouted.

She locked eyes with each pony before slowly sinking back into the case and closing the lid.

Baton looked at the case, mouth agape. "I… I don't even…"

At the same time, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Vinyl Scratch each said, "Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie." Both Fluttershy and Twilight performed the appropriate movements while reciting the promise.

Vinyl scowled. "Fine, you can tell them."

Baton lit up at this. "Vinyl Scratch isn't actually her name. Her REAL name is Orchestra! She was an amazing composer of music! She could write a piece that could capture the feeling of hard rock and smooth jazz at the same time. I guess I can see why you'd be good at DJ-ing. But she will always be Orchy to me and our friends!"

Vinyl growled at this, "Don't call me that! Gah! I should have known you would find me Bee."

Twilight stood shocked. "Wait… this is your friend you mentioned to me when we first met?"

Baton nodded but Vinyl Scratch tilted her head, "Mentioned?"

"Oh yes, Twilight said she never took our branch of magic seriously."

Vinyl slowly turned to Twilight, a maniacal grin on her face. "Oh reeeeeaaaallllyyyy?"

"Yes, BUT! She was nice, I showed her what our magic is about and now she is going to pursue some knowledge of our field." said Baton.

Twilight swallowed and stepped back nervously.

_Oh I hope there isn't any fighting… If there is I could take Vinyl Scratch... Oh! Why did I think that? I don't want to hurt anypony… maybe I should go clear my head. _"Um… I…I should get going…" At Fluttershy's words, all the happiness from finding a lost friend vanished from Batons face and was replaced with worry and sadness. _Oh… I don't want him to think I'm leaving because of him! _"I…um… that is… I need to go feed the animals before it gets too late… I mean… if that's ok…"

Baton smiled understandably, "Of course Fluttershy… I await our next… interaction."

Fluttershy let out a squeak and blushed red. It seemed more often that she was turning this color in the presence of the white stallion.

Twilight, hoping to save her, spoke up. "I should also get going. I need to find Spike before he does something stupid, like propose to Rarity… again." With that both ponies turned and left. Baton's eyes followed the butterscotch pony until she was out of view.

"Aaaaawww….. little bumble-bee got a crush?"

"… Shut up Orchy…."


	6. Rainbow's Aria

I do not own My Little Pony! But I DO own Baton…. He is mine… Oh! And dear readers, I do encourage fan art of my fiction. Buck, I encourage it! I am also looking for a new cover art for this story if anyone is interested.

::Baton::

Baton wandered through the edge of the Everfree forest, unable to find his way back to Fluttershy's hut. _Maybe I should have just asked for directions… _He thought to himself as he strolled through the forest. His ears enjoyed the songs of the forest. Birds, bees, animals, trees, the wind, they sang for him and he loved every second.

_I guess getting lost was the price of trying to sneak up on Fluttershy in the morning. I hope she will still be there if I ever find my way._

Baton couldn't wait to see the object of his affection, he felt good about today.

_Hmmm… I might as well turn back no- _at that second he heard something that didn't fit with the forest. It sounded as if someone was flying… or falling.

-*WHAAAM!*-

The tree directly in front of Baton split open as an object crashed into it. Baton jumped back at the loud explosion of sound. After the dust cleared, Baton approached the tree cautiously before he heard a voice.

"BUCK! Every bucking time!"

Baton looked into the wreckage and saw Rainbow Dash, upside-down on her head, a few scrapes but nothing serious. "Hey Rainbow Dash, are you alright?

Rainbow Dash looked up and glared when she saw Baton. "Oh, it's you… Great… yah, I'm just dandy…"

Baton looked worried at Rainbow's attitude. "Are you feeling OK?"

The multi-hued Pegasus sighed. "No, I've been off my game since yesterday. I can't do a bucking thing right." She grumbled under her breath, something about "apples…"

Baton walked over and helped the Pegasus up and out of the tree wreckage. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Rainbow Dash sighed, "Might as well… got nothing better to do besides crash… Or actually clear the sky… Heh right…" and with that Rainbow Dash told Baton about the Wonderbolts session, being kicked out, crashing into Sweet Apple Acres, and her shouting match with Applejack. Rainbow Dash ended with an exasperated sigh.

"It sounds to me as if you're starting to doubt who you are…" Baton tried to make sense of the entire situation.

"Yah… I guess your right…"

Baton struggled a little internally. _Should I show her? It could be helpful… but it could also crush her… _"Would you like to stop doubting yourself?"

Rainbow tilted her head, confused. "What do you mean?"

Nervously Baton began to explain. "Well… I've been working on a spell… it can play….. Well, someone's soul."

Rainbow Dash's face was that of utter confusion. "….you lost me…. What?"

"First… can you promise me that you won't tell anyone?

"Why?" Rainbow asked, suspicious.

"Well it's not finished. Don't you ever have a new trick that you hide until it's finished?"

Dash nodded, it wasn't uncommon for her to practice in private until she was 100% sure she had it down. "Yah I get you. I promise I won't tell anyone."  
>"OK, but can you… <em>Blast what was it called? <em>Pinkie Pie promise"

Rainbow Dash chuckled, "Yah, Yah I get it." With that she did the proper chant and actions.

Baton got up and walked to the center of the clearing. He turned and faced the blue Pegasus. "Ok, this song will start from the beginning."

Rainbow Dash stood up. "The beginning of what?

Baton looked deep into the eyes of the tom-colt, unwavering in his resolve.

"The beginning of you."

With that, Baton closed his eyes and his horn began to glow, and the forest went silent.

:: Rainbow Dash::

What Rainbow Dash first heard was a slow and steady drum beat, it sounded oddly familiar. Even though it was a quiet beat, she felt it. She realized then, it was perfectly synced to her heart beat. Next came a fanfare of trumpets, it was a strong but nice sound. Strings began to play scales up and down, like the music was flying through the air. _Hmmm…. sounds a bit light if it's about me… _At that thought, the strings began to change, slowly becoming grittier until they were replaced by a group of electric guitars. _Now that's more like it!_ A large cord rang out alone, being echoed by the orchestra, rippling outwards. _That sounds like my Sonic Rain-Boom!_

The music progressed and Rainbow Dash heard her life like she never thought she would. She heard her friends, different instruments to accentuate hers. A flute, a harp, an accordion, a banjo, and stings. She heard the downfall of Nightmare Moon. As she listened on, the song began to falter and skip. She heard the Chaos she tried to forget. At that time Baton fell to a knee, still maintaining the spell. Chaotic laughter filled the air. Rainbow had heard it before. It too was vanquished, but the laughter remained… Baton visibly struggled as he tried to regain control of the spell. Instruments went wild in discord. Eventually all sound cleared and Rainbow Dash heard her song again.

This time it was accompanied by a banjo, Rainbow knew who this was, and her heart sank. The guitar and the banjo began to dance with each other. Melodies that intertwined, in and out, the guitar would find harmonies to the banjo. Rainbow Dash knew that this is what she had always hid from the world, and from herself. The two lines played and played, until a cymbal crashed. Rainbow felt the barn again, she remembered how painful it was, but she knew it would only get worse. The banjo began again, but this time, it sounded angry. Before long the guitar began to bite back, pushing the banjo into the background. But it didn't stop there, how Rainbow Dash wished it would just stop; she sat listening with closed eyes. It kept attacking until the banjo was gone… all that was left was the guitar, alone and in more pain than before. It began a soft minor key. It lamented on, growing quieter… then silence… Rainbow Dash sat there, a solid river of tears flowed freely.

_Applejack… what have I done? _

After a while Rainbow opened her eyes, she saw a weary Baton looking back.

"You love her." It wasn't a question, it was an observation.

Rainbow Dash stood up, wiped her eyes and pointed West. "Head that way and you'll reach Fluttershy's place in ten minutes." She slowly began to rise into the air, wings flapping lazily. "You tell anyone about this, and you'll have to answer to me buddy. I may not be sure about everything in my life, but I'm one hundred and twenty percent sure about one thing, and I need to make it right again." With that she flew off to Cloudsdale to prepare her apology, leaving a confused and exhausted Baton behind. He, none the less, picked himself up and headed West, mumbling something about "Cotton candy clouds that pour chocolate rain? That's weird…"

Unbeknownst to either pony, they had been overheard. If Rainbow Dash had looked down as she flew away, she would have seen a brown Stetson racing to Sweet Apple Acres. What she wouldn't have seen would be the tears streaming from the eyes of the pony who wore it.


	7. Chapter 7

Ok, I'm sorry about the wait on this chapter. Things to do, Papers to write, moons to be banished to. It's all so tiring. I do not own MLP: FIM, nor any song in this chapter (Don't want to give it away!). Again, I am looking for an artist to do some cover art for this story, I am looking to have some before I try and submit this to Equestria Daily. As always, Enjoy!

::Baton::

Baton continued west, as instructed by the rainbow maned Pegasus, and walked through the forest. He knew he was heading in the right direction, he was following the sun as it was descending into the horizon. His thoughts flickered to Twilight, knowing that tonight would be her first lesson. Baton saw the trees thinning and becoming more spread apart. The journey hadbeen a little harder after running into Rainbow Dash. _That spell sure took a lot out of me. I almost feel like taking a nap_. Baton thought as he stifled a yawn. _Ah, what a lovely summer evening though. I wonder if Fluttershy is still home. _Baton smiled as he imagined the object of his growing affection. In the little while he had known her she had already shown more kindness than he had ever experienced, especially him being from a big city.

_It's amazing how somepony can be so sweet, and nice, and cute, and shy, and… _Baton stopped himself, chuckling. _Wow, I sound like Orchestra did when she was trying to convince me that she __**didn't **__like Octavia. I really must be falling for Fluttershy, but how can I not. She has the voice of angel. _But it was hard for him to not pine over the canary colored Pegasus, he imagined her in his mind's eye. Standing, with her pink hair in her face like it usually is, just smiling at him. Baton came to a parting in the trees that opened up into the back of Fluttershy's yard. All the animals were outside today, even though the day was winding down. Some played with each other on the ground, others swam in the lake nearby, and birds flitted from tree to tree in giddy joy. As Baton got closer he heard something. His smile grew wide and his heart fluttered in excitement. He had walked in on Fluttershy feeding her pets, and he heard a song from his past. One of the very first ones that had come to him after he got his cutie mark.

"….Casting its spell

That I am now under

Squirrels in the trees

and the cute little bunnies

Birds flying free

and bees with their honey

Hooneeeeey!

Oooh, what a magical place

and I owe it all to the Pegasus race

If I knew the ground had so much up its sleeve

I'd have come here sooner, and never leave

Yes, I love everythiiiiiiiiiing!"

Baton began to clap. _It isn't often that you get to hear someone sing like no one could hear them. And of all ponies I could imagine listening to, I'm glad it's her_. Fluttershy looked toward Baton in shock, squeaking in the process. Her face grew red and she began to hide behind her hair.

"Bravo! Bravo! I would ask for an encore but something tells me I only got to see that by chance. It's good to hear you again, you have an amazing voice." Baton walked toward Fluttershy, who seemed to be trying to grow smaller in her embarrassment.

"Oh… H-hi Baton. Um… thank you but I'm not that good…" Fluttershy stammered out, her face growing deeper in shade. She kicked at the dirt with a hoof.

"Not good? Your voice is one of the reasons why I'm attracted to you." Baton stopped short, mouth still agape. _…well THAT just slipped out. Oh Celestia I sound like an idiot._ Baton had to resist the urge to face-hoof. Fluttershy's face shot up in surprise, eyes wide and hopeful.

"You…you're attracted to me?" She asked, eyes beaming. Her wings fully extended unintentionally.

Baton looked up into Fluttershy's big blue eyes. "Yes, it's one of the reasons I came here." _Ok Baton, this is it… you know what to do, and try not to mess it up. _"When I decided to come here… I wanted to get you something, a gift, to show you what you meant to me."

"Oh Baton, you didn't have to get me a-"

"Flowers are too common, I'm not rich so diamonds are out."

"U-u-um, Baton… I don't need an-"

Baton turned around, walking a few steps before turning back. "So I thought to myself… 'What can I get her that no pony else can…" What's MY gift…?" Baton's horn glowed and the forest went silent, all the animals stopped and watched. Baton looked into Fluttershy's eyes… and sang.

"My gift is my song... and this one's for you  
>And you can tell everypony, that this is your song<br>It may be quite simple, but now that it's done  
>I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind<br>That I put down in words...  
>How wonderful life is, now you're in the world<p>

I sat on the roof and I kicked off the moss  
>Well some of these verses, well they,… They-"<p>

The song faltered as symbols crashed in the background. An organ began to shout out chords. Violins screeched at each other in a shrieking chorus. The magical symphony was breaking into chaos. All the animals that were watching and listening ran away in a panic. Laughter filled the air, maniacally insane laughter. Baton struggled to control his spell. His energy began to wane, _W-whats happening? _He heard a voice in his head_… "Twists and turns are my master plan. Then find the elements, back to where you began!" no….no! what is going on! "Everypony has to play or the game is over and I win!" n-n-no… w-what? _Baton struggled. He was lost in this chaotic voice… his old memories fell one by one into darkness while others began to take place, a maze, a throne, chocolate milk? He began to feel a growing need, a need for disorder, for disharmony, for… discord. Then hatred filled his heart, he remembered being frozen, unable to move for who knows how long, he was stone. Baton opened his eyes meekly. He was prepared to fall into what ever had taken him… and then he heard a voice.

"Baton? Are you alright!" Fluttershy, he had forgotten about Fluttershy. Just like that all his memories came rushing back. They flashed before him like a slideshow on fast forward. They ended on one in particular, Fluttershy smiling. Baton knew who he was, and who he wanted to be with. The music around them quelled and the song returned.

"I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind  
>That I put down in words...<br>How wonderful life is, now you're in the world."

With that, Baton blacked out.

::Twilight::

_Ok, ok focus. Keep the tempo steady. Ignore the stunning moon goddess in front of you. Focus on the nursery rhyme. Did she say something? Gah! Get it back! Ok, I hope she didn't notice that. Who am I kidding, of course she noticed that._ Twilight finished her song and released her spell, sound flooded back into the library. Crickets chirped outside, a wolf howled in the distance, spike let out a great snore from the loft above.

"Very good Twilight Sparkle. Thou art getting much better. We think it is time to have you try another part of the spell." Luna said, smiling down at her new pupil. She relished the chance to teach. As with everything else, teaching was usually done in the day, therefore severing it from Luna's usual duties.

"Alright!" Twilight smiled back, eager in her studies. She was surprised how difficult this magic was. It was part silencing spell, part auditory illusion spell, and part creativity spell. She was struggling on a simple nursery rhyme. "But Princess, please just call me Twilight."

"We are- I am sorry Twilight, it has been… difficult for us- me to adjust to the changes that I missed for 1000 years. If I must call you Twilight, then you must call me Luna."

Twilight blushed a bit, hoping the faint lights would hide it. _Should I call her Luna? I don't even call Princess Celestia by her name. oh but I don't want to offend her by ignoring her wishes._ "o-ok… Luna. What shall we do next… that is… what should I…-"

Luna giggled at her flustered student. "Calm Twilight. You do not have to guard your tongue around me. I am not as… uptight as my sister. I must have missed the 'uptight' phase of alicorn growth when I was on the moon." She smiled at Twilight, attempting to lighten the mood. "Perhaps it was good I was banished!." Luna giggled at her own joke.

_She can't honestly think it was a good thing she was banished! Wait… OH! It was a joke! Maybe I do need to lighten up. Wait… I haven't been laughing! Shoot! I don't want her to think I didn't think her joke was good. _Twilight let out some awkward laughs. But that only caused Luna to laugh a little more. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have gotten out of that situation unscathed. "Ok then Luna, what shall I do now?"

Luna began to regain some control as she wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh Twilight, you are very fun! *Ahem* Well the next part of the spell will be a visual illusion spell. This will add moving pictures to you spell. This is very effective to show large audiences, and can also be used to confuse if you are ever in need of a distraction. Just focus on your song. Most visual aspects are self-explanatory; such is the case with the song we are focusing on tonight. Others however, will need to be provided by you, this is the case with songs that have no lyrics. Now, begin your song and this time, add an image of what you are singing about. Remember, music is never set in stone, music is moving, flowing. There isn't just one right answer."

_ANOTHER! There's another part to this spell! Ok I can do this! So just imagine what I'm playing… a star. A ball of burning gas? _Twilight began her spell, and like always, a single violin began to play. It played a song that all fillies and colts heard growing up. It was a song about a twinkling start in the sky and kids wondering what it is exactly. Twilight began to focus on what a star is. Before her a small white speck appeared, it began to grow in size. Its color changed from white to orange. A small sun floated in the middle of the library. It burned bright and tendrils of flames wrapped around the ball of gas. Twilight finished her song and the star faded from existence.

"Very good Twilight, you have the fundamental theory behind the idea. Yet you are lacking in what is most important." Luna began as she watch the stare fade away.

"Was it rhythm? I felt like I was rushing the song. I'm sorry. I can try again if-"

"No no, the rhythm was fine. I am talking about the feeling behind the song. Yes I know the song is about a star, and I know that stars are suns very far away, and suns, much like my sister, are balls of hot gas. But… what is this song really about?"

Twilight struggled with the idea of approaching the song from a non-scientific point of view. _Well I suppose its about mystery… about not knowing for sure what is up there but admiring it all the same… that sounds a little too familiar. _Twilight breathed deeply to steady herself, she closed her eyes and imagined what she found mysterious but admired all the same. She focused the magic within herself. _Ok, first the silencing spell… now the auditory illusion spell…_ Twilight began her song, her violin going a bit slower, but flooding the song with meaning. She began to sing along in her head, _Twinkle twinkle little star… How I wonder what you are… _Twilight tapped into her magic and began the visual illusion spell… mist swirled into the center of the room. A single twinkling star appeared… it began to grow smaller as more and more joined until a vision of the night sky could be seen. A comet streaked through the sky. _What is the song about… _the vison shifted slightly, the sky began to get smaller and was surrounded by blue… it began to resemble a nebula of stars contained in… a mane. The vision zoomed out and showed a familiar face, Luna's. What was once a sky was, now contained in the mane of the moon goddess. The vision Luna looked to Twilight and smiled, her eyes twinkling like diamonds. The purple unicorn was lost in the gaze she created. She saw exactly what she was playing about. This was no nursery rhyme anymore. Her violin was joined by others; they played and sang together, changing the kid's song into a concerto of love, longing and mystery. Twilight let the song run its course. The vision, though, she held, and let it linger. It finally dissipated; as the mist cleared Twilight caught a glimpse of the real Luna. Surprise, that was the only word to describe the expression on the face of the youngest Royal Sister. Not anger, nor hatred.

"Very good Twilight. I believe that is enough for tonight. Please continue to practice. I shall send a message when we can next hold lessons. Goodnight." The Princess said this as she walked onto the balcony. Twilight following behind, confused and worried. "Know you did nothing wrong. It is late and I must prepare to lower the moon. Farewell Twilight." Luna never gave the purple unicorn a chance to respond as she closed her eyes and slowly began to fade, turning into stars that flew off into the horizon.

"Goodnight Luna…" Twilight walked slowly into the library. She sat down and wondered if she may have overstepped her boundaries. _It's too late now_ she thought. As the moon began to set and the glow of the sun crept from the east, Twilight realized that she hadn't slept a wink at all, yet she never felt more awake. She thought of nothing better to do than to practice, _'music isn't something you can study from a book. It takes practice, commitment, passion.' _She recalled what Luna first said about music. Twilight closed her eyes and began again. The vision came again, same as before, and Twilight just listened, _I like the night._ She admitted, _it's a mystery I suppose._


	8. Chapter 8

Hello again every pony, just a friendly reminder that I do not own any character besides Baton. I also don't own any of the songs I put into my music, I just enjoy them. Not much to say besides please rate, review, and let me know what you think!

::Rainbow Dash::

The sun was high in the sky, reaching its apex for the day. It burned brightly over Sweet Apple Acres, bathing the orchard in its life giving light. The sun reflected of a small lake nestled deep within the orchard. All the Apples were out and about doing their daily chores. Applejack was bucking the north field, Big Mac was bucking the south, and Apple Bloom was helping Granny Smith in the market, yet there was commotion in the barn. "Ok! She shouldn't be much longer, she usually takes a break around now. You two know your parts?" Rainbow Dash asked of her two friends, though Vinyl Scratch and Octavia weren't paying attention and didn't hear her.

"You think your part is hard? I'm playing a washboard, an electric bass, AND a harmonica! That's three instruments!" Vinyl retorts as she motions to the trio of instruments set behind her. Octavia responded with a lift of her eyebrow.

"Well yes, but you have magic; you don't even have to hold your instruments. I'm not used to playing something that isn't upright. This… guitar is so rudimentary." Octavia looks at the acoustic guitar in her hooves. Its true though, Rainbow Dash hadn't seen her play anything but her large upright chello.

"Oh boo-hoo, and here I thought you were some kind of GOOD musician." Octavia gasped, looking taken back. "But I guess if you can't play a single guitar while I play 3 different instruments then I guess that makes ME the better musician!" Vinyl smirked, turning away, knowing that her comment stuck a chord.

Octavia stuttered, "O-o-oh yah? I bet I can play 10x better then you play all three of those combined!"

"GUYS!" shouted Rainbow Dash, having had to listen to this go back and forth for quite a while. "Can you do it or not?" The music ponies nodded their heads. "Good, thank you. And where are my lights?" Rainbow dash looked to the back of the barn. There sat Derpy Hooves, trying to untangle herself from a mess of wires, she was currently trying to chew her way out.

"Sorry Rainbow Dash, I just don't know what-"

-ZAP!—

The frayed cords shocked Derpy, leaving her chard, smoky, and smiling. Rainbow Dash had to resist the urge to face-hoof. Her ears perked up as she heard the buzz of a familiar orange filly. She felt her heart start to race… she knew what the return of her admirer meant this time. Scootaloo scooted into the barn, smiling at the chance to help her hero, and a bit out of breath. She approached Rainbow Dash, closing the barn door behind her.

"Rainbow! She's on her way. She finished half of her crops so she was going back to the main house. I put that note on the door just like you asked!" Scootaloo reported to her rainbow maned idol.

_Heh, I gotta give it to the kid, she comes through when you need it. _"Thanks kid." Dash smiled and rubbed the top of the filly's head. "Good job, but you need to hide. OK! Places everyone!" The main light of the barn went out, casting most of the inside into darkness, except for a beam of sunshine that streamed in from the lone window. Vinyl and Octavia hid behind the wooden beams that held the barn up, Scootaloo jumped into a nearby barrel, and Derpy rolled her electrified and tangled mass into a corner. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, steadying herself. Her stomach was in knots, her hooves were damp, and she felt the familiar rush of adrenaline that she usually gets when doing a new move, shoot into her system as she heard the clop of hooves approaching the barn. _Ok Rainbow, you got this. This is cake, you've practiced this more than any of your tricks for the Wonderbolts. _The door to the barn creaked open… it was the longest moment in Rainbow Dash's life, and in walked Applejack. Dash watched the blonde maned pony walk into the barn, straining to see. It wasn't soon until Applejack noticed the blue Pegasus.

"Dash…" Applejack's eyes grew large. "w-what're y'all doin' here?"

_Don't mess up. _Rainbow Dash walked into the sun beam, letting it warm her and give her courage, "AJ, I-I wanted to say I was sorry. I shouldn't have blown up like that. You had a right to be mad and I was having a bad day."

Applejack looked down and kicked her hoofs on the ground. "Donchu worry none, Rainbow, I fergive y'all."

"But that's the thing, I couldn't stop worrying. I couldn't stop thinking about you. And I still can't. I felt horrible after running off; I didn't even help you rebuild the barn. But this isn't just about the barn, or me getting angry at you," The blue Pegasus closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Applejack, you're my best friend, you're the only person who I can really have fun with. You're the only pony to be able to give me a challenge. I've been thinking about you, about how when we race, or wrestle, or argue, I feel happier than when I perform." Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack, who had been watching Dash. She looked into those emerald eyes and felt a fire; she knew that what she was doing was right.

"Why now Dash?" Those three words froze Rainbow Dash solid. She stuttered out some confusion. "Why now? What is makin' you wanna tell me this now?"

Rainbow Dash recovered quickly, "Well I never knew really, I was never completely sure, but recently I slowed down and… listened to my heart. And I know, I've been thinking about you… Hit it!" The lights went up, showing Octavia with an acoustic guitar and Vinyl Scratch with a bass, a wash board, and a harmonica. Octavia started out with the acoustic guitar playing a sorrowful tone, the harmonica let out a small line, as the bass plucked a low bass line. Applejack watched in surprise at her friend, not believing what she was seeing. Rainbow Dash walked up to the rodeo pony and began to sing.

"Well I ain't interested in the clothes that you wear

In the cart that you drive or the cut of your hair

Honey, you got somethin' I can't compare

And I've been thinkin' about you

And I don't really care about the weather outside,

And I don't want to talk about national pride,

All that I need for to be satisfied is a

Mare who is somthin' like me

Well maybe you're wrong and maybe you're right

And maybe we could sit here and argue all night

But maybe you just better turn out the lights

'cause honey I've been thinkin' about you

Honey I've been thinkin' about you for a while

And it's drivin' me mad ya its cramping my style

And I ain't asking you to walk down the aisle, but i-"

The music continued but the singing stopped. Something had gotten in the way of Rainbow Dash's lips. _Wha? Are those… ohmygosh… she is kissing me? _ AJ was indeed kissing her, Rainbow Dash's eyes widened in shock. She saw the orange earth pony flushed and kissing her. _What do I do? Well kiss back duh! OHMYGOSH-OHMYGOSH-OHMYGOSH-OHMYGOSH-OHMYGOSH! _ Rainbow Dash felt the happiest she had ever been. Her first sonic rainboom, the best young flyers competition, they were mere candles to the inferno she felt within herself. Just as Rainbow Dash began to kiss back, a cheer broke through the romantic atmosphere.

"WOO! GO APPLEJACK!" Derpy shouted from her corner of electric wires. She was clasping her hooves together. Rainbow Dash and Applejack broke the kiss to turn to Derpy, Rainbow did face-hoof this time, as did Octavia and Vinyl, AJ tilted her Stetson down and blushed, forgetting that the barn had more than just her and Rainbow Dash. "YAAH! GO RAINBO-"

-ZAP!-

The grey, wall-eyed, Pegasus giggled as she was, once again, electrocuted by the mass of wires she had entrapped herself in. Rainbow Dash looked back to the blonde pony she had worked so hard to woo, "So… do this mean-"

"No." AJ interrupted her. Rainbow Dash froze in fear… _I … I don't get it… what did I do wr-_ "No, this doesn't mean I'll be goin' easy on y'all from now on." AJ smirked, at Rainbow Dash's flabbergasted expression. "And jus tah prove it… Race y'all tah the lake? Ready set go!" With that AJ stole a kiss from the still stunned Pegasus and ran off into the orchard. The cogs in Rainbows brain finally click, her wings sprung up and she smiled a big goofy smile. She ran out of the barn and took flight, she faintly acknowledged the fact that she forgot to pay her sound crew, but she will repay them eventually. After all, she is the element of loyalty. As Rainbow Dash tilted and rose on an updraft she felt giddy and as light as a feather. She bristled as she felt the winds of change at her back, pushing her into what seemed like a bright future. In her mind she heard the song that Baton played for her. She heard her and AJ playing, and she knew this was right. With a shift of her weight, Rainbow tilted toward the lack nestled between the apple trees and the Stetson clad orange mare that was waiting for her.

::Twilight Sparkle::

Twilight hummed to herself as she walked through the center of town. Ponies passing by, if they stopped to listen, might say that Twilight was humming a song that sounded oddly like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," but, that would be absurd. Twilight couldn't get her song, which she had given the name, "Lullaby for Artemis". She had played it a total of six times now, twice the night before and four times today. It was driving Spike crazy but each time it was easier to stray from the nursery rhyme which she used as a crutch to start her piece. She was sure that the total number of plays would still be climbing, it was only just sunset, if it wasn't for the distraction that lead to her current trip through Ponyville. Angel bunny had rushed in with a note from Fluttershy. The note had asked Twilight to come to her cottage, _'I mean… if that's alright with you.'_ It had said. She didn't mind though, she knew that Baton was sure to be close to Fluttershy and she had question for him. _Now that I know how to do some music magic, I want to put some spells into them. Though I need to proceed with caution, random spells are never a good thing to try willy nilly. _Twilight was passing the Carousel Boutique when she heard a voice call out to her.

"TWILIGHT! Wait!" Twilight turned to see Sweetie Belle running from the entrance of the store her sister ran. The white filly smiled as she ran toward the librarian. "Are you going to see Baton! I wanted to ask him if he could teach me! I want to see if music could be my cutie mark!" The filly was literally bouncing as she walked up to Twilight.

"Well no, I'm going to see Fluttershy but I'm sure Baton is with her and I too have some questions that I think he could help me with." Twilight responded. _I wonder how long it would take Sweetie Belle to learn as much as I have. Maybe two or three days? It only took me a night but my talent IS magic so I guess that gives me some leeway on learning new things. _"Why don't you come with me?" Sweetie Belle agreed without hesitation and the two of them resumed their journey to Fluttershy's home. As they walked they talked about goings on. Today the crusaders had tried to be pet doctors, which resulted porcupine needles to Apple Bloom, traveling sales ponies, they lost the right to sell back scratchers to Flim and Flam after a lengthy competition, and Ponyville firefighters, which resulted in… nothing, there aren't many fires in Ponyville. When they finally arrived at the home of their timid yellow friend, they were greeted by strange sounds. It was if a lion was in pain… and a bird was crying? They walked up to the house and knocked on the door. Fluttershy appeared, tears in her eyes.

"Oh… hello Twilight, I'm glad you could come. And hello Sweetie Belle, I'm sorry you have to see me like this, I didn't know you were coming." Fluttershy beckoned the two into her home.

"Fluttershy what happened to you are you alright?" Twilight asked, still in the doorway stunned. Fluttershy gave a meek smile at her friends concern for her.

"Oh… I'll be fine, it's not me I'm worried about. This is actually why I asked you over here Twilight." Fluttershy walked into the room that Twilight had assumed to be the guest room. Twilight followed behind, Sweetie Belle silently after, and the moaning groaning sounds got louder as they went. As Twilight turned the corner she say the source of the strange sounds, it was Baton. He was in the guest bed but he was… writhing. In pain or discomfort Twilight couldn't tell. Twilight quickly went to Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy what happened to him?" Twilight asked, unsure of what to make of the situation. Baton stirred and with a groan, began to flail his hooves out, causing both Twilight and Fluttershy to take a step back. -WHAM!- Batons hoof made an impact with the wall, blood streamed from a gash on his hoof. Fluttershy squeaked in terror as she waited for Baton's flailing to subside. Once it died down Fluttershy began to bandage the cut he had made in his fit.

"I…I don't know what's wrong," Fluttershy said, tears forming in her eyes, "he-he sang to me yesterday, in my g-garden. It was so beautiful. But something went wrong and he lost control of the spell, I didn't know what was happening. Once her regained control he finished and blacked out. I-I carried him inside and put him to bed, thinking he would be better in the morning but… he…he won't wake up Twilight! I don't know what to do and I'm scared! I'm… scared that…" Fluttershy lost any composer she had and started to cry on Batons chest. Twilight hurt to see her friend this way.

_What do I do? How can I help her? She should have gone and gotten nurse Redheart. _Twilight knew she couldn't abandon her friend, so she sat next to the canary colored Pegasus and took her into a hug, letting her dampen her own violet coat. Once the tears had been subdued, Fluttershy looked to Twilight with large bloodshot eyes.

"I asked you here because if any unicorn could find out what's wrong with him it's you." Twilight frowned, she wished she could have prepared a bit.

"I'm not sure what's wrong. If I knew before I could have looked for a spell to show us… I'm not that trained in healing spells but I could try." Fluttershy Gave Twilight a hard hug and backed away, near the head of the bed. Twilight arose and looked at Baton. His curly brown mane was a mess and she could see some rapid eye movement beneath his eyelids, as if he was having one doozy of a dream. Twilight closed her eyes and began to focus on the healing spell, imagining life taking place and growing, being damaged and rebuilt. Her horn glowed and a ball of violet energy began to form on the tip. Once the spell was complete, Twilight bowed her head and pushed the orb into Baton. Nothing. Silence. And then, the orb shot back out of Baton, turned a demented red and black swirling color, and slammed itself into the top of the door way where it dispersed as magic energy does when not contained. Sweetie Belle, who had been standing there in shock, jerked back into reality and went to hide behind Twilight. Baton began to writhe more violently, shaking and shivering. Panting and groaning. Her was getting worse. "But… that should have worked!" It didn't. Baton began again to thrash out in his unconscious state. He began to shout in agony. His horn lit up and sent books flying off their shelves, vases exploded with magic. Fluttershy began to cry in concern.

"Twilight! Do something!" But Twilight was frozen, she didn't know what to do. She was the most faithful student of Princess Celestia and she was drawing a blank. Sweetie Belle stood up, tears streaming from her face, and began to walk to Baton, her horn aglow. The sound in the room stopped, books fell mutely and vases shattered without a sound. Sweetie Belle closed her eyes and sang.

Hush now, quiet now

It's time to lay your sleepy head

Hush now, quiet now

It's time to go to bed

_IS she! That's music magic! But how!_

Drift now, off to sleep

The exciting day behind you

Drift you off to sleep

Let the joy of dreams come find you.

Throughout the song, Baton began to calm until he stopped all together. His breathing slowed and he became more relaxed. Twilight watched in awe as Sweetie Belle finished her song. Baton lay on the bed breathing slowly, eyes still, and a peaceful expression on his face. _ She put a healing spell into that song! … I can't even do that yet. _In the back of her mind Twilight scolded herself for being jealous of the filly. Sweetie Belle opened her eyes and slumped to the ground, spent. A flash of bright light emanated from the filly which caused both Twilight and Fluttershy to cringe, they looked again and saw something that was not there before. "Sweetie Belle, Your flank… you got your cutie mark…" And sure enough, there on the flank of the white filly was a cutie mark. It was a red music note with one flag, _an eighth note_ twilight remembered, instead of just a dot, there was a heart with a stem and flag. Two red crosses were also newly formed, on above and one below the flag. Sweetie Belle turned in circles, trying to get a better look at her new cutie mark. Twilight and Fluttershy both giggled at the adorable sight. With Baton sleeping peacefully, the three mares retired to the living room. "Fluttershy I'm going back to the library, I know there is a spell somewhere to tell us what's wrong with Baton."  
>"Yah! And I gotta go show my sister my new cutie mark!" Sweetie Belle was still grinning at this new development. Fluttershy bade them both goodnight as they left, a weight lifted slightly from her shoulders.<p>

::Fluttershy::

Fluttershy awoke to a strange noise outside her window. She peered out and saw the moon, very large tonight, was hanging low on the horizon. _The night is almost over._ A howl broke through the night, but it was unlike any howl she had heard before. Yet it sounded so familiar. It wasn't Diamond Dog nor timber wolf. She got out of bed and decided to check to see if Baton was still sleeping peacefully. After her guests had left, she was able to feed baton soup and water, which she was glad. As she walked into her guest room she froze in shock. The bed was empty. Fluttershy looked up and saw the bedside window was open. She instantly sprung out of the room, wings flapping. The strange howl sounded again… she recognized it. She veered her wings toward the source. There sat Baton, on the edge of a small hill, he tilted his head up again and howled. Fluttershy landed next to him. "Baton! Baton! Wake up!" she shook the stallion. Baton turned his head toward the sound. Eyes still closed. _He heard me! Oh thank Celestia! _Baton opened his eyes, but they were not the deep blue that Fluttershy had accustomed herself with, these eyes had red irises and the whites of his eyes were now a tainted yellow, where as his pupils were white. But before Fluttershy could do more than gasp, he blinked and his eyes returned to normal. Baton slumped to the ground groaning.

"Where… Where am I? Fluttershy?" The yellow Pegasus fell to the ground with Baton, hugging him. "What happened?"

_He is too weak to make the trip to the cottage on foot and I can't fly him there. The climate is mild. I guess we sleep here tonight. _Fluttershy laid down next Baton, nuzzling him, "What do you remember?"

Baton scratched his head frowning. "I don't know, it's all so… Chaotic."

All credit to RD's song goes to Jackie Greene


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own Mlp: FIM. I also apologize for the delay between chapters, I hit a wall that some call writers block. I have missed this story and hope you have too! So enjoy.

Much credit and praise to my editior Acsinclair, without you, I don't know how I could be here.

::Fluttershy::

_Baton looked at Fluttershy, the fields of flowers flowed behind him like and endless sea of beauty. The sun was high and the air around them was pleasantly warm. Fluttershy enjoyed getting lost in his eyes, "This day is amazing." She said, trying to not stare into his eyes like a goof._

"_Indeed, it is perfect, yet all of this pales in comparison with your beauty." Fluttershy blushed and tried to hide behind her hair at the complement. He always knew what to say to make her blush, not that it was hard, but this was a special blush, one that made her feel light and giddy. Baton chuckled at her shyness, "You don't have to be shy around me, I would never leave you. There is something I want to say," Fluttershy's heart began to beat. "Fluttershy… I… I lo-_

_**-CRASH!-**_

Fluttershy awoke from her dream, bolting upright at the sound. Her heart raced as she struggled to regain her orientation. She looked around the room, it was nothing special. She was still in her bed in her bedroom. _Oh my… I was having such a pleasant dream. _She remembered the reason for her reluctant return to the waking world. Fluttershy got out of bed and began to tip-toe toward the source of the crash. She could hear grumbling as she walked through her house. _Oh dear… I hope no one broke in! What if they are hurting the animals!_ Fluttershy took a deep breathand looked around the corner to the source of the sound. There stood Baton putting dishes away from the sink, mumbling to himself. _Why is he talking to himself? _The dishes slowly flowed into the cabinets, each alight with Baton's black glow. Baton winced as if he had been hit. Red electricity crackled around his horn, the dish that was being carried by Baton's magic poofed into a balloon.

"Buck!" Baton cursed as he strained to sustain his levitation spell. Two more dishes turned into balloons. Baton set down what he was carrying and gathered the dish balloons together; he took a deep breath and focused on the balloons. The black glow of his magic surrounded the balloons as they turned back into plates… and fell to the floor. Another crash rang through the house, Baton winced at the sound. "Oh, she definitely heard that one…" He repaired the plates with magic and set them on the stack in the cabinet. Baton turned around and began heading to Fluttershy's room, only to run right into her. The pair of ponies hit the ground, Fluttershy landed on her back, under Baton. Her eyes grew wide as she realized their situation; Baton on the other hand just gave a dopey smile, his eyes a tad red from lack of sleep. "Well I guess I don't have to go wake you up."

_Oh… oh my… _Was all that Fluttershy could formulate in her head, her heart beat and her face flushed. _You need to say something! _"G-good morning Baton… wh-why are you up so early?"

"Well I couldn't sleep so I thought I would make you breakfast!" Baton got up and offered his hoof to Fluttershy, helping her up. He then turned and walked to the kitchen. Fluttershy followed and when she saw what was on the table her mouth began to water, a plate piled high with fresh steaming pancakes!

Baton continued his narrative of the morning, "…And then there was a knock on the door, so I decided to answer it before they tried to knock louder." Fluttershy began to eat her pancakes, tilting her head inquisitively at the mention of a visitor that early. "Oh, it was your friend Pinkie Pie, she invited us to a party today at Sugar Cube Corner. Well, she invited you and, after a minute long monologue about how rude it is tell someone about a party without inviting them, then invited me. That Pinkie Pie sure knows how to talk."

Fluttershy swallowed what she was eating and looked to Baton. "But… it's not anyone's birthday today. Gummi's was last month and Rainbow Dash's isn't for another two…"

Baton's look turned confused, "She said it was a surprise party, I wonder who its for? Oh well! Finish your breakfast and then we-" Baton turned and looked into the far corner, his face stern and concentrated. He glared at the shadow cast by one of Fluttershy's chairs. Then, as if nothing happened, he turned back to the yellow Pegasus with a smile, "-can go! I already fed the animals this morning. I wasn't sure what Angel bunny wanted, he kept throwing a book at me, so I settled on carrots."

Fluttershy looked to Angel's basket to see the bunny, stomach bulging, laying on his back. _Oh dear… he never ate that much for me…_ Fluttershy finished her pancakes and the two of them started off toward town.

The sun was high overhead as the pair of ponies made their way through town. Baton was slightly ahead, looking every which way as if he couldn't decide what he wanted to look at. He had an off-beat spring to his step, it never was the same step, always different. He was also humming a tune to himself, something nonsensical that Fluttershy couldn't put her hoof on. She watched the stallion as he trotted ahead, her thoughts flitting from if he was ok, to what the party is about, to if Twilight had gotten any headway on a spell for Baton. They finally found their way to Sugar Cube Corner and found it occupied by Applejack, Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow Dash.

"Howdy Fluttershy! It's been uh while since you've been out 'n about."

"Oh… yes, I've been keeping an eye on Baton, he hasn't been feeling well." She glanced over to the stallion who just stood there smiling like a doof. _This isn't like him, he's usually quite social._

Twilight chimed in, "I'm close to perfecting a spell that should tell us exactly what's wrong"

"Yah… almost." Moaned Spike as he hiccupped, sending a stream of green bubbles into the room.

"Whoa! Can you make me shoot lighting out of my mouth!" Rainbow dash asked excitedly, her faced pushed up close to Twilights, already planning new tricks.

"Uh… maybe after the party?" Twilight said as she tried to retreat away from the excited Pegasus.

Applejack bit onto Rainbow Dash's tail, pulling her back, "Whoa there partner!" Rainbow Dash gave a low moan at the sensation. Eyes shot open as the group realized what had happened, Dash and AJ turned a deep shade of crimson, even Fluttershy and Twilight grew a bit red, Baton, on the other hoof, was zoning out with his big goofy smile.

"Sooooo…." Twilight said, trying to break the awkward silence, "Who's this party for anyways? It's supposed to be a surprise party, but we don't even know who is supposed to be supr-"

"SUPRIIIIIISE!" The pink party pony burst from a door connecting to the living room, a jet of confetti and balloons shooting with her. Fluttershy's heart nearly stopped as she was scared stiff. Twilight, AJ and Rainbow dash all jumped in fright while Baton just chuckled to himself, getting a face full of confetti.

"Pinkie! Don't scare us like that!" Twilight said, clutching her chest.

"Well isn't the point of a surprise part to surprise someone? Duh! If you weren't scared then it wouldn't have been a good surprise!"

"Why are you even surprising us? It's none of our birthdays."

Pinkie Pie giggled at this, "It's not a birthday party but it is a surprise for you, and you too Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, and Fluttershy, and Fluttershy's-really-close-live-in-guy friend! IIIIII~~ have something to tell you all!" Pinkie Pie was getting visually more and more excited as she explained. Her grin was wide and she was positively giddy.

"Well what is it Pinkie?" Asked Dash, her curiosity peaked by the mystery that presented herself.

"Weeeeeeeell…. I have a Colt-Friend!" She screamed, happy to get her surprise out. Each of the mares gathered were dumb struck.

"…who is it?" Twilight asked, positively lost for any easy answer.

"Come on in!" Pinkie called to the room she entered from. The door creaked open and the girls craned their necks above and around the pink pony to try and get a closer look. The stallion that walked in was familiar to all of them, save for Baton, but was also the very last pony they thought would walk through that door. He ambled in, slowly walking, as was his normal pace. His hoofs clopped slowly, the blond shaggy tips brushing against the floor. Applejack's jaw fell. The red coat alone was enough to give the identity away, but all was confirmed by the green apple cutie mark on his flank.

"B-B-Big Mac?" AJ stuttered out in her shocked state.

"Eeyup."


End file.
